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Orr SE, Hedrick NA, Murray KA, Pasupuleti AK, Kovacs JL, Goodisman MAD. Genetic and environmental effects on morphological traits of social phenotypes in wasps. Heredity (Edinb) 2024; 133:126-136. [PMID: 38918612 PMCID: PMC11286790 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-024-00701-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Many species exhibit distinct phenotypic classes, such as sexes in dioecious species or castes in social species. The evolution of these classes is affected by the genetic architecture governing traits shared between phenotypes. However, estimates of the genetic and environmental factors contributing to phenotypic variation in distinct classes have rarely been examined. We studied the genetic architecture underlying morphological traits in phenotypic classes in the social wasp Vespula maculifrons. Our data revealed patriline effects on a few traits, indicating weak genetic influences on caste phenotypic variation. Interestingly, traits exhibited higher heritability in queens than workers. This result suggests that genetic variation has a stronger influence on trait variation in the queen caste than the worker caste, which is unexpected because queens typically experience direct selection. Moreover, estimates of heritability for traits were correlated between the castes, indicating that variability in trait size was governed by similar genetic architecture in the two castes. However, we failed to find evidence for a significant relationship between caste dimorphism and caste correlation, as would be expected if trait evolution was constrained by intralocus genetic conflict. Our analyses also uncovered variation in the allometric relationships for traits. These analyses suggested that worker traits were proportionally smaller than queen traits for most traits examined. Overall, our data provide evidence for a strong environmental and moderate genetic basis of trait variation among castes. Moreover, our results suggest that selection previously operated on caste phenotype in this species, and phenotypic variation is now governed primarily by environmental differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Orr
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, 310 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, 30318, Georgia
| | - Nicole A Hedrick
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, 310 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, 30318, Georgia
| | - Kayla A Murray
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, 310 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, 30318, Georgia
| | - Abhinav K Pasupuleti
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, 310 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, 30318, Georgia
| | - Jennifer L Kovacs
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, 310 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, 30318, Georgia
- Agnes Scott College, Department of Biology, 141 East College Avenue, Decatur, 30030, Georgia
| | - Michael A D Goodisman
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, 310 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, 30318, Georgia.
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2
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Orr SE, Hedrick NA, Murray KA, Pasupuleti AK, Goodisman MAD. Novel insights into paternity skew in a polyandrous social wasp. INSECT SCIENCE 2024. [PMID: 38415498 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Females of many species are polyandrous. However, polyandry can give rise to conflict among individuals within families. We examined the level of polyandry and paternity skew in the common eastern yellowjacket wasp, Vespula maculifrons, in order to gain a greater understanding of conflict in social insects. We collected 10 colonies of V. maculifrons and genotyped workers and prereproductive queens at highly variable microsatellite markers to assign each to a patriline. Genotypic data revealed evidence of significant paternity skew among patrilines. In addition, we found that patrilines contributed differentially to caste production (worker vs. queen), suggesting an important role for reproductive conflict not previously discovered. We also investigated if patterns of paternity skew and mate number varied over time. However, we found no evidence of changes in levels of polyandry when compared to historical data dating back almost 40 years. Finally, we measured a suite of morphological traits in individuals from the most common and least common patrilines in each colony to test if males that showed highly skewed reproductive success also produced offspring that differed in phenotype. Our data revealed weak correlation between paternity skew and morphological phenotype of offspring sired by different males, suggesting no evidence of evolutionary tradeoffs at the level investigated. Overall, this study is the first to report significant paternity and caste-associated skew in V. maculifrons, and to investigate the phenotypic consequences of skew in a social wasp. Our results suggest that polyandry can have important consequences on the genetic and social structure of insect societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Orr
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Nicole A Hedrick
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kayla A Murray
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Abhinav K Pasupuleti
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Michael A D Goodisman
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Taylor BA, Taylor D, Bodrug‐Schepers A, Câmara Ferreira F, Stralis‐Pavese N, Himmelbauer H, Guigó R, Reuter M, Sumner S. Molecular signatures of alternative reproductive strategies in a facultatively social hover wasp. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17217. [PMID: 38014715 PMCID: PMC10953455 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Social insect reproductives and non-reproductives represent ideal models with which to understand the expression and regulation of alternative phenotypes. Most research in this area has focused on the developmental regulation of reproductive phenotypes in obligately social taxa such as honey bees, while relatively few studies have addressed the molecular correlates of reproductive differentiation in species in which the division of reproductive labour is established only in plastic dominance hierarchies. To address this knowledge gap, we generate the first genome for any stenogastrine wasp and analyse brain transcriptomic data for non-reproductives and reproductives of the facultatively social species Liostenogaster flavolineata, a representative of one of the simplest forms of social living. By experimentally manipulating the reproductive 'queues' exhibited by social colonies of this species, we show that reproductive division of labour in this species is associated with transcriptomic signatures that are more subtle and variable than those observed in social taxa in which colony living has become obligate; that variation in gene expression among non-reproductives reflects their investment into foraging effort more than their social rank; and that genes associated with reproductive division of labour overlap to some extent with those underlying division of labour in the separate polistine origin of wasp sociality but only explain a small portion of overall variation in this trait. These results indicate that broad patterns of within-colony transcriptomic differentiation in this species are similar to those in Polistinae but offer little support for the existence of a strongly conserved 'toolkit' for sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A. Taylor
- Centre for Biodiversity & Environment ResearchUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution & EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Daisy Taylor
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | | | | | - Nancy Stralis‐Pavese
- Department of BiotechnologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Heinz Himmelbauer
- Department of BiotechnologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Roderic Guigó
- Centre for Genomic RegulationBarcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyBarcelonaSpain
- Universitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
| | - Max Reuter
- Department of Genetics, Evolution & EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Centre for Life's Origins and EvolutionUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Seirian Sumner
- Centre for Biodiversity & Environment ResearchUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution & EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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Sumner S, Favreau E, Geist K, Toth AL, Rehan SM. Molecular patterns and processes in evolving sociality: lessons from insects. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220076. [PMID: 36802779 PMCID: PMC9939270 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Social insects have provided some of the clearest insights into the origins and evolution of collective behaviour. Over 20 years ago, Maynard Smith and Szathmáry defined the most complex form of insect social behaviour-superorganismality-among the eight major transitions in evolution that explain the emergence of biological complexity. However, the mechanistic processes underlying the transition from solitary life to superorganismal living in insects remain rather elusive. An overlooked question is whether this major transition arose via incremental or step-wise modes of evolution. We suggest that examination of the molecular processes underpinning different levels of social complexity represented across the major transition from solitary to complex sociality can help address this question. We present a framework for using molecular data to assess to what extent the mechanistic processes that take place in the major transition to complex sociality and superorganismality involve nonlinear (implying step-wise evolution) or linear (implying incremental evolution) changes in the underlying molecular mechanisms. We assess the evidence for these two modes using data from social insects and discuss how this framework can be used to test the generality of molecular patterns and processes across other major transitions. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Collective behaviour through time'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seirian Sumner
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Emeline Favreau
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Katherine Geist
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, and Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Amy L. Toth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, and Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Sandra M. Rehan
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Canada M3J 1P3
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Wyatt CDR, Bentley MA, Taylor D, Favreau E, Brock RE, Taylor BA, Bell E, Leadbeater E, Sumner S. Social complexity, life-history and lineage influence the molecular basis of castes in vespid wasps. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1046. [PMID: 36828829 PMCID: PMC9958023 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36456-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A key mechanistic hypothesis for the evolution of division of labour in social insects is that a shared set of genes co-opted from a common solitary ancestral ground plan (a genetic toolkit for sociality) regulates caste differentiation across levels of social complexity. Using brain transcriptome data from nine species of vespid wasps, we test for overlap in differentially expressed caste genes and use machine learning models to predict castes using different gene sets. We find evidence of a shared genetic toolkit across species representing different levels of social complexity. We also find evidence of additional fine-scale differences in predictive gene sets, functional enrichment and rates of gene evolution that are related to level of social complexity, lineage and of colony founding. These results suggest that the concept of a shared genetic toolkit for sociality may be too simplistic to fully describe the process of the major transition to sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Douglas Robert Wyatt
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Dept Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Michael Andrew Bentley
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Dept Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Daisy Taylor
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Emeline Favreau
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Dept Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Ryan Edward Brock
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
- Department of Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Benjamin Aaron Taylor
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Dept Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Emily Bell
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Ellouise Leadbeater
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Seirian Sumner
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Dept Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
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Conformity and differentiation are two sides of the same coin. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:545-553. [PMID: 36803986 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Variation between individuals is a key component of selection and hence evolutionary change. Social interactions are important drivers of variation, potentially making behaviour more similar (i.e., conform) or divergent (i.e., differentiate) between individuals. While documented across a wide range of animals, behaviours and contexts, conformity and differentiation are typically considered separately. Here, we argue that rather than independent concepts, they can be integrated onto a single scale that considers how social interactions drive changes in interindividual variance within groups: conformity reduces variance within groups while differentiation increases it. We discuss the advantages of placing conformity and differentiation at different ends of a single scale, allowing for a deeper understanding of the relationship between social interactions and interindividual variation.
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Sasaki K, Yoshimura H, Nishimura M. Caste-specific storage of dopamine-related substances in the brains of four Polistes paper wasp species. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0280881. [PMID: 36701284 PMCID: PMC9879392 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
How the role of dopamine differs according to the evolution of eusociality and how it is required in the flexible society of Polistes paper wasps need further clarification. In the present study, we compared the storage and usage of dopamine-related substances in brains between the castes of paper wasps. The head widths, lipid stores in the abdomen, and levels of biogenic amines in the brains were measured in newly emerged females before male emergence (workers) and after male emergence (gynes) in four Polistes species. The head widths and the lipid stores were significantly larger in gynes than workers in P. snelleni, P. rothneyi, and P. jokahamae, whereas they did not differ between castes in P. chinensis. The levels of dopamine precursors in the brains were significantly higher in gynes than workers in P. snelleni, P. chinensis, and P. rothneyi, whereas those of dopamine and its metabolites did not differ between castes in these species. In P. jokahamae, the levels of dopamine precursors and dopamine in the brains did not differ between castes, but those of a dopamine metabolite were significantly higher in gynes than workers. Thus, the caste differences in the levels of dopamine-related substances did not always match body sizes and nutritional reserves. Foundresses in P. rothneyi had significantly lower levels of dopamine precursors and higher levels of dopamine and its metabolite than newly emerged gynes. These results suggested that in several Polistes species, dopamine precursors were stored in the brain without dopamine biosynthesis at emergence, and then converted into dopamine in foundresses during colony founding. These neuroendocrinal states in Polistes species largely differed from those in eusocial bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Sasaki
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan
- Honeybee Science Research Center, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Hideto Yoshimura
- Division of Agro-Environment Research, Tohoku Agricultural Research Center, NARO, Morioka, Iwate, Japan
| | - Masakazu Nishimura
- Honeybee Science Research Center, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan
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Awde DN, Skandalis A, Richards MH. Foraging gene expression patterns in queens, workers, and males in a eusocial insect. CAN J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2021-0124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Reproductive division of labour is based on biased expression of complementary parental behaviours, brood production (egg-laying) by queens and brood care (in particular, brood-provisioning) by workers. In many social insect species, queens provision brood when establishing colonies at the beginning of a breeding season and reproductive division of labour begins with the emergence of workers. In many social insect species, the expression of foraging (for) mRNA is associated with the intensity of foraging behaviour and therefore brood-provisioning. However, only two studies have compared queen and worker for expression levels and neither accounted for transcript splice variation. In this study, we compare the expression level of the for-α transcript variant across four life stages of the queen caste, two behavioural groups of workers, and males of a eusocial sweat bee Lasioglossum laevissimum (Smith, 1853). Foundresses collected prior to the onset of the foraging season and males had the highest for-α expression levels. All active (post-hibernatory) queens and workers had similar for-α expression levels independent of behaviour. These results suggest that the for gene in L. laevissimum acts as a primer before foraging activity and that caste-specific expression patterns correlate with the timing of foraging activity in queens and workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N. Awde
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
| | - Adonis Skandalis
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Miriam H. Richards
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
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Abstract
Some parasitoid wasps possess soldier castes during their parasitic larval stage, but are often neglected from our evolutionary theories explaining caste systems in animal societies. This is primarily due to the polyembryonic origin of their societies. However, recent discoveries of polyembryonic trematodes (i.e. flatworms) possessing soldier castes require us to reconsider this reasoning. I argue we can benefit from including these polyembryonic parasites in eusocial discussions, for polyembryony and parasitism are taxonomically vast and influence the evolution of social behaviours and caste systems in various circumstances. Despite their polyembryony, their social evolution can be explained by theories of eusociality designed for parent–offspring groups, which are the subjects of most social evolution research. Including polyembryonic parasites in these theories follows the trend of major evolutionary transitions theory expanding social evolution research into all levels of biological organization. In addition, these continued discoveries of caste systems in parasites suggest social evolution may be more relevant to parasitology than currently acknowledged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A Whyte
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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Linksvayer TA, Johnson BR. Re-thinking the social ladder approach for elucidating the evolution and molecular basis of insect societies. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 34:123-129. [PMID: 31401545 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of large insect societies is a major evolutionary transition that occurred in the long-extinct ancestors of termites, ants, corbiculate bees, and vespid wasps. Researchers have long used 'social ladder thinking': assuming progressive stepwise phenotypic evolution and asserting that extant species with simple societies (e.g. some halictid bees) represent the ancestors of species with complex societies, and thus provide insight into general early steps of eusocial evolution. We discuss how this is inconsistent with data and modern evolutionary 'tree thinking'. Phylogenetic comparative methods with broad sampling provide the best means to make rigorous inferences about ancestral traits and evolutionary transitions that occurred within each lineage, and to determine whether consistent phenotypic and genomic changes occurred across independent lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian R Johnson
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California Davis, United States
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